Street trading consent

You will usually need a Street Trading Consent if you want to sell goods, food, drink or services from a street maintained by Buckinghamshire Council.

You can apply for:

• fixed site consent - for trading from a specific location (for example, food or retail stalls)
• mobile trader consent - for trading from multiple locations throughout the day (for example, ice cream or coffee vans)
• event consent - for commercial events, an organiser may apply for a consent covering multiple traders attending the event

To apply for consent, you must:

• be at least 17 years old
• have a legal right to work in the UK

As part of the online form, you will need to upload copies of:

• photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence
• a passport-style photograph
• proof of address, such as a utility bill or Council Tax bill
• a basic DBS certificate issued within the last 3 months
• public liability insurance with at least £10 million cover
  • for new applications, we can accept an insurance quote, but you must provide the insurance certificate before consent can be granted
• photographs of your stall, trailer, vehicle or trading unit
  • if the unit has not yet been built, you can provide drawings instead

Depending on your application, you may need to provide:

• details of the vehicle you're trading from (if applicable): registration, insurance and driving licence details
• employer's liability insurance: at least £5 million cover if you employ staff
• site plan (for fixed site consent): showing the trading location, trading unit, trading area, customer queuing area, and any canopies, awnings, signs or equipment
• food business registration details (if you sell food or drink)

A 50% reduction in maintenance fees is available for traders who intend to operate for 20 hours or less per week. The reduction applies to the maintenance element of the fee only.

Maintenance fees are requested after the application is determined. If you do not pay within 28 days of the application being determined, we charge a late payment fee of 10% of the maintenance fee.

Read the Street Trading Policy to check that your proposal meets the council's requirements.

Apply online, submit supporting documents and pay your application fee.

We aim to respond to applications as quickly as possible.

The time it takes will depend on:

• whether you have provided all the required information and documents
• whether consultation is required
• whether any objections are received

We assess applications against the Street Trading Policy. We also consider issues such as public safety and the impact on local businesses and residents.

Most fixed site applications require a 28-day public consultation.

You will normally need to:

• display a public notice (DOCX, 43KB) at the proposed trading location
• keep the notice displayed for 28 consecutive days
• provide evidence that the notice remained in place

We will consider any comments when deciding whether to grant consent.

Depending on your business, you may also need:

• a premises licence
• a temporary event notice
• planning permission